This invention relates to a hanger assembly for hanging a plurality of elongated members from a support. The hanger assembly has application, for example, to support lengths of pipe for carrying water, steam or other fluids or electrical conduits from ceilings, beams or other overhead portions of structures.
Hangers for pipes and other elongated members typically incorporate a U-shaped metal strip that is attached to a beam or other structural member by a threaded rod that extends through a hole in the upper portion of the hanger. Nuts are employed to hold the hanger on the threaded rod and to adjust hanger elevation.
When conventional hangers are employed to support a length of pipe, for example, all of the hangers are normally placed over the end of the pipe and then each is connected to its threaded support rod one at a time until the length of pipe is properly hung from all the hangers. The task of hanging a length of pipe is cumbersome because the pipe must be held in position while each threaded rod is placed in an aperture passing through the top of each hanger and then both the hanger and the pipe must be held in position while a nut, and usually washer, are installed on the end of the threaded rod. To add to the difficulty, the task of hanging a length of pipe from a number of hangers usually is performed while the installer is standing on a ladder. Conventional types of pipes supports and hangers are shown, for example, in Catalog No. 493, Pipe Hangers and Devices, of PHD Manufacturing, Inc., Columbiana, Ohio on pages 31, 35, 37, 40, 43 and 89.
My U.S. Pat. No. 5,082,216, discloses a pipe hanger assembly that can be installed on a hanger rod using no tools and only one hand. The hanger assembly of the invention disclosed in that patent includes a hanger having a general U-shape and including slotted shoulder portions or elements at the top of the legs of the U-shaped hanger. The shoulder portions are in generally horizontal orientation when the hanger assembly is in use.
The assembly of U.S. Pat. No. 5,082,216 further includes a holding element that is separately installed on the threaded rod before a pipe is hung, the holding element having locking elements that enter the slots in the shoulders of the pipe support, preferably by compressing the natural springiness of the U-shaped hanger to fit the slots over the locking elements, after which release of the U-shaped hanger causes the slots to be biased away from one another and engagement with the locking elements of the holding element.
The hanger assemblies noted above are for the purpose of hanging a single pipe or other elongated member. In addition, the hangers typically narrow as they progress upwardly so that pipes and other types of elongated members cannot be installed with ease. Furthermore, conventional hangers are generally sized specifically for one size of pipe, for example, and employing a hanger with a pipe smaller than that for which it is not designed will result in the pipe rolling or otherwise being unstable in the hanger.
The hanger assembly disclosed and claimed herein incorporates a number of features which remedy certain deficiencies of the prior art.
The hanger assembly of this invention is for hanging a plurality of pipes or other elongated members from a support.
The hanger assembly includes a first hanger for receiving a first elongated member and includes a first elongated member engagement element and a pair of first hanger legs spaced from one another, extending upwardly from the first elongated member engagement element and having spaced distal ends. The first hanger defines a first hanger interior.
The hanger assembly also includes a second hanger for receiving a second elongated member and including a second elongated member engagement element and a pair of second hanger legs spaced from one another, extending upwardly from the second elongated member attachment element and having spaced distal ends.
A connector is provided for releasably connecting the first hanger and the second hanger together and to the support with the second hanger positioned in the first hanger interior.
The invention also encompasses a hanger assembly including a hanger for receiving an elongated member and including an elongated member engagement element, a pair of hanger legs spaced from one another and extending upwardly from the elongated member engagement element and a pair of shoulder elements attached to the distal ends of the pair of hanger legs.
The shoulder elements project toward one another. Each of the shoulder elements has a shoulder element front edge and defines a support receiving opening extending inwardly from the shoulder element front edge. Each of the shoulder elements has two spaced side edges.
The hanger assembly also includes a connector for releasably connecting the shoulder elements together at the side edges thereof and for connecting the hanger to the support.